1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to heating devices and is directed more particularly to cooking ranges of the type used in domestic and commercial kitchens.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It appears to be generally recognized that gaseous fuel (natural gas, propane, methane, and the like; hereinafter xe2x80x9cgasxe2x80x9d) stoves provide superior cooking capabilities. It also appears increasingly recognized that smooth-top electric stoves present the most pleasing appearance and are the easiest to clean, important factors in selection of ranges for both domestic and commercial kitchens.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cooking range fueled by gas but having the smooth-top structure and appearance.
An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a heat supplying device, such as a cooking range, having a burner adapted to operate on a gaseous fuel and which, in combination with a cover member of heat transmissive material, presents an aesthetically pleasing and easy to clean smooth top for supporting items to be heated or cooked.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device as described immediately above, wherein a negative pressure is maintained in the burner so as to draw off combustion gases and to draw the cover member into engagement with the burner to effect a gas-tight seal therebetween.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a control assembly for the above-described heat supplying device, to select the intensity of heat supplied thereby.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a burner which operates on a gaseous fuel, but which permits use of a smooth cover of heat transmissive material which provides an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-clean top surface for supporting items to be heated or cooked.
With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the present invention is the provision of a cooking range comprising a support structure for supporting at least one burner, a burner mounted on the support structure, the burner comprising a chamber for receiving a gas and air mixture, a substrate having a bottom surface in part defining the chamber and having apertures therethrough for passage of the gas and air mixture therethrough, a combustion chamber defined in part by a top surface of the substrate, an igniter in the combustion chamber for igniting the gas and air mixture, and a high temperature metal or refractory fibers wire disposed proximate the top surface of the substrate for radiating heat. The range further comprises a cover member of heat transmissive material overlying the metal wire and providing a support surface for items to be heated.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, there is provided a heat supplying device comprising a housing, a gas supply inlet and valve therefor, and an air supply inlet and valve therefor. The device further comprises a burner fixed in the housing and comprising a substrate of either a thermally insulating, thermally conductive, or a combination material, the substrate defining a plurality of openings therethrough for flow therethrough of a mixture of air from the air supply inlet and gas from the gas supply inlet, the flow extending from a first side of the substrate to a second side of the substrate for combustion adjacent the second side of the substrate, and high temperature metal or refractory fibers wire disposed adjacent the second side of the substrate and projecting outwardly therefrom. The device still further comprises a cover of heat transmissive material disposed on the housing and overlying the metal or refractory fibers wire to provide a support surface on the heat-supplying device for supporting a heat-consuming item.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, there is provided a cooking range comprising support structure for supporting at least one burner, a burner mounted on the support structure, the burner being provided with a combustion chamber for housing combustion of a fuel, and a cover member of heat transmissive material overlying the combustion chamber and providing a support surface for items to be heated. The range further comprises an exhaust blower in communication with the combustion chamber to draw exhaust gasses from the combustion chamber, and for maintaining negative pressure in the combustion chamber to pull the cover member toward the burner to sealingly engage a peripheral portion of the burner.
In accordance with a still further feature of the invention, there is provided a cooking range comprising a support structure for supporting at least one burner, a gas-fueled burner mounted on the support structure, the burner being provided with a combustion chamber for receiving a gas and air mixture, an igniter mounted in the combustion chamber for igniting the gas and air mixture to provide a flame, and a mixing chamber for receiving gas and air from a gas inlet and an air inlet, respectively, for mixing the gas and air, and discharging the mixture to a conduit in communication with the combustion chamber. The range further comprises a control assembly for reducing the flame from a selected intensity to a selected lesser intensity and for increasing the flame from the lesser intensity to a selected greater intensity, the control assembly comprising an actuator in communication with a gas valve and an air inlet valve, the actuator being operative, upon operation to reduce the flame intensity, to progressively reduce the flow rate of gas through the gas inlet to the mixing chamber to progressively reduce the intensity of the flame to about 10% of a maximum intensity, and upon further operation to reduce the flame intensity, is operative to substantially reduce the flow rate of air through the air inlet and further reduce the flow rate of gas through the gas inlet to the mixing chamber to further reduce the intensity of the flame, the actuator being operative, upon operation to increase the intensity of the flame, to increase the flow rate of gas through the gas inlet to the mixing chamber to progressively increase the intensity of the flame to about 40% of the maximum intensity, and upon further operation to increase the flame intensity, is operative to further increase the flow rate of gas through the gas inlet and to substantially increase the flow rate of air through the air inlet and to the mixing chamber to further increase the intensity of the flame.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, there is provided a control assembly for selectively varying the intensity of a flame produced by combustion of a gas and air mixture by selectively varying flow rate of gas to a mixing chamber, and varying flow rate of air to the mixing chamber. The control assembly comprises an actuator operable in a first direction to decrease the flame intensity and in a second direction to increase the flame intensity, a gas valve in the gas conduit in communication with the mixing chamber for varying flow rate of gas to the mixing chamber, and an air valve in communication with the mixing chamber and adapted to vary flow of air to the mixing chamber, wherein upon operating the actuator in the first direction, the actuator effects progressive closing of the gas valve to progressively decrease the flow rate of gas to the mixing chamber, and wherein upon further operation of the actuator in the first direction, the actuator reaches a point at which the actuator effects operation of the air valve to close off at least a portion of a first air inlet orifice to the mixing chamber and substitute therefor a smaller second air inlet orifice, to substantially reduce the flow rate of air to the mixing chamber, and wherein upon operating the actuator in the second direction, the actuator effects progressive opening of the gas valve to progressively increase the flow rate of gas to the mixing chamber, and wherein upon further operation of the actuator in the second direction, the actuator reaches the point at which the actuator effects operation of the air valve to remove the second air inlet orifice from communication with the mixing chamber and leave the larger first air inlet orifice in communication with the mixing chamber, to substantially increase the flow rate of air to the mixing chamber.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, there is provided a burner for a heat-supplying device, the burner comprising a substrate of either thermally insulating or conductive, or combination material, the substrate defining a plurality of openings therethrough for flow of a mixture of gas and air therethrough from a first side of the substrate to a second side of the substrate for combustion adjacent to the second side of the substrate, high temperature metal or refractory fibers wire disposed on the second side of the substrate and projecting outwardly therefrom, and a cover of heat transmissive material overlying the metal wire and defining a support surface of the heat-supplying device for supporting a heat-consuming item.
The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular device embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.